EPISODE 32
Locked in a squalid dungeon, Mi-Ra moans and cries.
The cell door opens, her uncle Beak-Seo at the entrance.
(!!!) Terrorized, Krr.. Krr.., she digs into the stone wall with her bare hands...
... One of her hands turns to dust!
| - | (shrieks of terror) AAAHHHH...... |
Her uncle grins like a demon. As his clothes shred...
... His face and body go dark, shrouded in shadow dust.
SPROOTCH!! A tentacle of shadow springs from his abdomen and...
... penetrates Mi-Ra's mouth!!!
A fluid passes through the tentacle, distorted by shifting bulges...
... gorging Mi-Ra with black energy. Her throat and belly swell.
Her eyes turn black. Obscure fluid pours out her nostrils, her ears, her tears.
Mi-Ra collapses backwards, like a disjointed puppet.
No longer a wall, but a cliff, she falls into the void...
... an endless fall... slowed down.... then gently stopped.
She opens her eyes, her appearance back to normal, she sees that...
... Kang Chul is holding her in his arms!
Her tears flow, those of an impossible wish coming true.
| - | (serious and tender) I won't let anyone hurt you. Not even yourself. |
Kang Chul draws his pistol and points it at...
... Mi-Ra's uncle, a shadowy specter, inexplicably in the ruins of a Joseon palace.
POW!! He shoots him in the head.
His shadowy body vanishes and transforms into a dark storm.
The wind is so violent that it gradually obscures Kang Chul from Mi-Ra's view.
Soon, he's gone. She searches desperately for him in the gusts...
... becoming a storm in a raging sea.
Mi-Ra steers a small ship, facing the hurricane, for a long time.
She wears herself out, battles the waves.
Her skin withers, her strength drains.
Mi-Ra is now standing on a sunny beach, the ocean is quiet.
She looks at the wooden debris of a beached ship...
... where a corpse lies... which she turns over.
Horrified, she sees a desiccated mummy.
|
| : | That's me. |
She flees into the sand dunes, becoming...
... A burning desert. Every step is difficult, sinking into the sand.
The blue sky turns a pale, dirty yellow.
At the top of a dune she sees a stake, and stuck on it...
... Kang Chul's decapitated head! Mi-Ra is traumatized!
In the middle of the sky, like a giant sun, the face of the Correspondent!
|
| - | (scream of terror) ARRRAAAHHHH...... |
|
| - | ... AAAAAHHH!!! |
Mi-Ra wakes up in terror.
Dripping with sweat, she straightens up in bed.
She gasps profusely, stares, gathers her wits...
... breathing more slowly as the fear subsides.
|
| ~ | I had to accept the truth... |
She grabs a towel, mops herself off as she remembers in the dream...
Her tears flow, those of an impossible wish coming true.
|
| - | (serious and tender) I won't let anyone hurt you. Not even yourself. |
She suffers, because her feeling in the dream has become permanent...
... cruelly unveiling the happiness of a love she has no chance to live.
|
| ~ | Falling in love like never before. |
She clutches her hand to her aching heart.
Her whole body shivering, she notices goose bumps on her forearm.
|
| ~ | In the worst way, one-sided love. |
Her stomach spasms, she bursts into tears like a child...
Kang Chul and Yeon-Joo sleep in the bed.
Yeon-Joo lies on her back, Kang Chul clinging to her.
His lips quiver, his eyes move beneath his eyelids...
Sunny blue sky.
Kang Chul smiles, dressed in a white wedding suit.
Next to him, Yeon-Joo in a blue dress with white flowers (W Ep04).
She looks around in astonishment.
| - | (to Kang Chul) The world of "W" has changed so much... |
Around them, there are Joseon nobles, and a historic Korean setting.
|
| - | It doesn't matter, nothing will stop us from getting married. |
Yeon-Joo and Kang Chul enter the courtyard of a royal palace.
Yeon-Joo walks away from him, to the middle of the square, and closes her eyes.
Servants come towards her, carrying a Queen of Joseon costume.
Indecently, they undress and dress her in front of everyone...
Kang Chul is now alone, on an aisle surrounded by nobles.
Under a shower of flowers, he makes his way to the ceremonial altar where stands...
... The bride-to-be, now wearing a modern black wedding suit.
Her face is covered by a black fishnet veil.
Kang Chul lifts the bride's veil. Bliss appears on his face...
... he looks at the bride... Mi-Ra!
Her eyes are closed and she smiles in peace.
Kang Chul feels a deep, deep happiness...
... He tenderly lays his hand on Mi-Ra's cheek.
Kang Chul wakes up suddenly, opens his eyes wide.
He doesn't have time to see the Bedroom.
He looks at Yeon-Joo, whose face is just a few centimetres from his own.
Without understanding, he sees that...
... It's not Yeon-Joo, it's Mi-Ra!
She's not asleep, but her eyes are closed, smiling, peaceful.
It makes no sense, but strangely, he doesn't think about it.
A deep happiness overwhelms him as he contemplates her.
He kisses Mi-Ra. She lets him do it. She was waiting for it.
A fog disperses in Kang Chul's vision.
When he stops the kiss, he sees...
... Yeon-Joo!!!
He understands that he's just kissed her, without having lived it.
She was only a substitute for the one he really kissed... Mi-Ra.
|
| ~ | A dream of such intensity, that it continued to exist... ... even when awake, producing a hallucination. |
Shocked, Kang Chul hurries out of bed.
Panting, motionless, appalled, he stares at Yeon-Joo.
He raises his trembling hand and...
... caresses Yeon-Joo's cheek from a distance. But immediately a reminiscence--
... Kang Chul tenderly puts his hand on Mi-Ra's cheek.
Kang Chul turns around, breathless, distraught!!!
Scared of himself, slowly... He turns his head, afraid...
... to look at Yeon-Joo again.
Seeing her, his eyes widen in horror.
He puts his hand over his mouth to keep from screaming.
|
| ~ | Such a terrible sensation of distance... ... like seeing a stranger. |
He steps back, trembling, nodding "no" several times.
Lost, tears welling up in his eyes...
|
| ~ | The deep happiness I had felt in the dream... ... has been engraved in me forever. |
... he looks away, desperate for a way out.
He sees his bathrobe. He grabs it and--
FZZT! Colorful interdimensional interference, Kang Chul disappears!
Disturbed in her sleep by the agitation...
|
| - | (groans) mMmh?? |
Yeon-Joo wakes up slowly, looks around...
... Kang Chul isn't here... But nothing unusual...
She hears Chul-Moo giggling in the cradle. Also awake.
|
| - | (smiles) Your daddy's making us breakfast, baby. |
Mi-Ra looks in the mirror, confused, sad...
... clinging to the slightest hope to avoid going crazy...
He looks at Mi-Ra, as if he recognizes in her... Love.
|
| ~ | It's... It's different from the other times... Yes... It should be... No! It HAS to be! |
|
| : | Maybe... a feeling like this arises only when shared? |
Her pleading eyes vibrate, tears welling up, "if only it were true"...
|
| - | (hand on heart) And then, even that... What to do with it? ... |
SWROMPH! A shadowy turbulence, Mi-Ra becomes Cha Yu-Sun.
| - | (distraught) I need your talents this morning. |
Cha Yu-Sun removes her hair clip. Her hair unfurls, resembling Mi-Ra.
She takes off her hanbok. Puts on black lipstick and make-up... like Mi-Ra.
On the entrance gate, the number 39-5.
He holds a bottle and takes a sip of water.
|
| - | (looks down, incredulous) The Queen of Darkness's mind-control power? |
|
| - | Why didn't she ever use it on Wang Shin? |
| - | Oh, it only works on weak minds, not the main characters. Plus, it makes people absent-minded and monotonous. |
|
| : | (sighs, ironic sneer) No. No artificial process could induce that. |
He grimaces in pain, bends and clenches his hand on his chest.
Something squeezes, burning, in his belly.
|
| - | (moaning) Will it ever stop? |
He takes a heavy, jerky breath, the pain continues, an inner inferno.
|
| : | No, not the kind of thing that will calm down... |
|
| - | (pain) Just a good night's sleep... ... and this insanity will be forgotten. |
|
| - | (derisive smile) ... And here's the result... |
|
| - | Not the kind of poisonous woman I'd want to meet... |
|
| - | The worst woman in the world. |
|
| - | (a tigress) I learned how to use it, douchebag. I don't draw shit. I know every sword stroke in my manhwa. |
|
| - | The equivalent of a roller coaster set in hell. |
|
| - | She may be involved in her uncle's murder, on top of Yoon-Hee. And she's crazy and dangerous, with a working tablet. |
|
| - | What I've always fought against, morally speaking. |
|
| - | Talk, bitch. |
|
| - | (smiles) Sorry, I meant it... |
She looks at Kang Chul, as if she recognizes in him... Love.
|
| ~ | Impossible to fake that. |
|
| - | (bitter) All that shit falls on me because she was sincere. |
| - | It must be love at first sight... |
| - | The kind of whimsical exaltation leading to a disturbed mind, but no more real feelings. |
| - | An endless chain of irrationalities... |
|
| - | Sorry Soo-Bong. Every time, you fall for a crazy woman. |
|
| - | The previous one was a kind of depressing psycho. And this one does whatever comes into her head, which is empty. |
Poc!! Soo-Bong taps Kang Chul's head with his stylus.
|
| - | Why can't people be rational about something as important as love... |
"So many occasions when I should have shut up".
|
| - | (angrily) Nonsense. This has no future. By all means I must make it disappear! |
|
| - | (shouts) I don't want this!!! I have a-- |
| ~ | I have a family, I care about Yeon-Joo. |
Surprised, Kang Chul stands up and sees next to him...
... Another Kang Chul, an ILLUSION... Who he knows, who he's met before.
A snide, annoying Kang Chul, the one he never was, from a dream he had forgotten.
Clever but crude, violent, dominated by instinct. And also... A serial kisser!
| - | Draw what? |
| - | A dream, that I will have forgotten. |
|
| - | A dream? |
|
| - | If I've never met you, then you won't be sucked back into W. It's the only way to make the killer disappear. |
|
| - | I wonder if I really loved that woman to be so rude to her... |
|
| - | How can you say such shit? You sacrificed your memory and your love to save her. |
|
| - | Sacrifice what? I was never going to know, and become a dead end. Was it urgent? The killer was being held in the real world. I just told Yeon-Joo to see me in a manhwa, and that was fine for me. |
|
| - | (!!) I don't care what you think. I made the choice to love her. |
|
| - | (mocking) Yes, yes... Someone who makes rational choices... Who has the will to love the woman he married more every day. Who decides and controls what he wants to live. |
|
| - | (!) Wasn't it you who said "She's the key of my life"?!! |
|
| - | That's true, but now, when I think about it more... ... A key is used to open a door, and once done, we put it away. |
|
| - | !!! |
|
| - | (nods, like "unbelievable") I have to say this, while you're the rational guy and I'm the impulsive guy... |
|
| - | Finally, the story was fascinating. Kang Chul pitied me and was stupid. |
|
| - | I can't stand losing. Your ex-husband beating me is out of the question. |
|
| - | What kind of love triangle is this? Are you your own rival? |
|
| - | You'll soon find out that I'm much better than he is. |
|
| - | The crazy, angry guy you disowned. Isn't it? (mocking, points at him) ... Mr. Kang Chul 2.0, the so-called best version of himself. |
|
| - | ... (hurt, feels powerless) |
|
| - | For a guy you've only seen in a manhwa... ... I find I'm coming back more and more often. |
|
| - | I can't believe we're having this kind of argument... (nods) ... Even less so that it happens to us so often. |
|
| - | (eyes sore with grief) Did you think everything would be easy? |
|
| - | ... (doesn't know what to do) |
|
| - | Welcome to the real world, Kang Chul. |
|
| - | And you sigh because it pisses you off... when she's right! As if everything would magically fall into place. |
|
| - | (shouts, angrily) Are you a mother, Yeon-Joo??!!! |
|
| - | ... (gasps quickly, desperate) |
|
| - | WHY?! |
|
| - | (screams) BECAUSE IT'S NOT OVER !!!!! |
|
| - | (can't excuse this) We'll talk about it tonight. (leaves) |
|
| - | Bouh ouh ouh. (crying) |
In the passenger seat... the illusion of his previous self.
|
| - | So, how are your 50 years of ordinary life going, 2.0? |
|
| - | ... (drives, annoyed by his double) |
|
| - | Being Yeon-Joo's husband. Not an easy job. But I hope it's better than 50 years in prison. |
|
| - | It's the bible of sweet, simple things that women love. |
On the cover, a couple in love. Author: Puuung. Title: Love is.
He opens the book and shows an illustration: the man ties the woman's hair.
|
| - | Shit, at least I made the effort to read a book. |
|
| - | (irritated) Asshole, I have read it too!! |
|
| - | Oh, that's so helpful when you're playing the shallow romantic. But maybe you should have gone further than a series of clichés? |
|
| - | (sobbing) This ridiculous actor job... |
|
| - | As ridiculous as drawing manhwas when you have a degree in surgery. |
|
| - | !!! (hard to take) |
|
| - | I don't know about you, but I'm tired of it. |
|
| - | (twitching eyelids) ... No... Everything can't go smoothly in a couple... You only see the negative... You forget the everyday happiness... Being with a woman who-- |
|
| - | I agree with making an effort, BUT.... |
| - | Really? I don't know the story very well. |
| - | While your wife participates in the manhwa? |
| - | Ah, I'm interested in what she does, but I especially like her drawings. |
| - | I'll read the complete "Butterfly Girl", to deal with the situation. |
| - | (snide) And not just look at my drawings... |
| - | ... ("about time!") |
| - | Hey, Madam didn't know the writer of my drama either! |
|
| - | I was just thinking... In a couple... We should be more interested in what the other is doing, right? |
|
| - | (tears) Not necessarily... Everyone's free to do what they want... It's normal, we don't need to be passionate about each other's passions. |
|
| - | Still... a minimum... BECAUSE THERE... |
|
| - | (so happy) I designed the cover! |
|
| - | (looks) ..... It's beautiful. (doesn't take the manhwa) |
|
| - | ... (confused, holds out the manhwa in vain) |
|
| - | ... (tender smile) |
|
| - | Don't you want to read it? |
|
| - | Oh, I don't like manhwa stories. And certainly... My old self must have suffered reading W. |
|
| - | ..... (sad that he's not interested in what she does) |
|
| - | But I really like your drawings. If this manhwa ever comes to life, I promise to read it. (wink) |
|
| - | ... !! (offended, doesn't find it funny) |
|
| - | (enthusiastic) Producer Son is exceptional. His eye on everything, really competent. Ah, and I haven't told you about the other members of the team. The screenwriter! They say she's the best at supernatural stories and-- |
|
| - | (continues drawing) Honey, take care of Chul-Moo instead. I have to work late to meet the deadline. |
|
| - | (confused) Of course... Oh! And we shot some rushes. Would you like to see them? I've got it on my-- |
|
| - | No, no time. And I don't like TV anyway. But if it pleases you, that's the main thing... |
|
| - | ... (hurt that she's not interested in what he's doing) |
|
| - | Sure, she's the woman who sacrificed herself for you in W. Deserving to become the family of the great 2.0, but in the long run? |
Annoyed, she looks at the clock. 01:00 AM.
Klam!! Sound of the front door closing.
Kang Chul enters, tired.
|
| - | Is it going to be every day like this?! |
|
| - | (wearily) No... It's just a busy time. |
|
| - | It's ALWAYS a busy time!!! |
|
| - | ("what a nerve") You work late too, you're still at it!!! |
|
| - | (snarky) And because I work here... ... I'm systematically on duty to take care of everything else?!!! |
|
| - | !! (surprised by her aggressiveness) |
|
| - | Then take care of our son, too! You're no longer a president with slaves to take care of everything! |
|
| - | !!! (hard to take) |
Kang Chul is unable to understand the depth of the situation...
|
| ~ | Yeon-Joo, daughter of the cantankerous Oh Sung-Moo... |
¤ Gil Soo-Sun, stern, shows a hospital brochure, like "you'll go here!".
|
| ~ | ... and the uncompromising Gil Soo-Sun. |
¤ Yeon-Joo clowns around, finger to the sky, in Kang Chul's hospital room. (W Ep02)
|
| ~ | Dreamy, fun-loving and easygoing on the surface... |
¤ Yeon-Joo works obsessively on her tablet, without seeing Kang Chul next to her.
|
| ~ | ... but how could she not inherit her parents' burden? |
|
| - | Dude, let me remind you that at 30, neither of you had lived as a couple... ... and in some twisted way, you have the same father. |
|
| - | ... !! |
|
| ~ | Oh Sung-Moo was an incompetent family head. |
She turns away and pushes his hand away.
|
| - | Not today. |
Terrible, but the reality for many women after giving birth.
|
| - | It has become almost "NEVER TODAY"... |
|
| - | !! (realizes) |
|
| - | Your problem, 2.0, is that you look down on me. But you have no idea what I really think of you. |
| - | (annoyed) Couldn't he have dealt with the bad guy before his love affair?! |
| - | You didn't have to marry me before your time either! |
| - | It was the fool who was my old self, not me. |
|
| - | (sarcastic) Sooo, you did everything perfectly, better than the fool I am. And yet I keep coming back... |
|
| - | (plaintive) I've just avoided the mistakes you've-- |
|
| - | It's annoying for you, and tiring for me. Not exactly a logical choice. |
|
| - | Aaafff... (sigh of moral pain) |
|
| - | That's because you don't have the answer to the most important question of all. And today, you absolutely must have it, despite your fear. |
|
| - | !! (sudden anguish) |
|
| - | You could have had that answer a long time ago. So this time, are you going to do what it takes? |
|
| - | ... (tortured, hard to bear) |
The illusion whispers in Kang Chul's ear.
We can't hear what he's saying, but...
... Kang Chul grows more distressed, cries...
|
| ~ | He was right. I should have done this before. Because today was the worst time. |
As the illusion continues to speak to him, Kang Chul cries more...
On the façade, company logos "Moon".
In front of the entrance, a red carpet rolled out to the sidewalk.
Ominous guards lined up on either side of the carpet.
Behind these modern "shadow killers", a crowd of journalists.
In front of the entrance, managers and executives from the Moon company.
Mi-Ra's limousine pulls up and parks in front of the red carpet.
Excited journalists get their microphones and cameras ready.
"It's her!", "The new president", "A manhwa author!", "Incredible".
A guard opens the limousine door, Mi-Ra steps out.
... Or rather, Cha Yu-Sun disguised as Mi-Ra!
Dressed as a businesswoman, with a sexy gothic touch, black lips and nails.
Immediately, company managers bow down.
Journalists strafe with photos and questions. But no flashbulbs.
"Miss Moon, are you going to preside over the Moon company?"
"Miss Moon, will you continue your career as a manhwaga?"
"Miss Moon, is it true that a criminal investigation has been opened against you?"
Mi-Ra walks toward the building entrance, like a Queen toward her Throne.
In the middle of the alley, she stops and Snap!! snaps her fingers.
Immediately the guards snatch the microphones from the journalists!
The journalists, !!!, offended... then confused... then respectful when they see that...
... The guards hand all the microphones towards Mi-Ra.
She has the nerve to organize her own conference! Not to be bothered by reporters.
Like Cha Yu-Sun, she's mocking, pretending to be moved or serious.
|
| - | Please don't drown me in questions. I'm just an ordinary woman, not comfortable in front of the media. |
|
| - | I'll only be president of the company long enough to get it back on its feet. My aim is to cleanse it of corruption, to make it ethical. Then I'll return to my profession as a cartoonist. |
FLASH! A journalist takes a photo with the camera's flash light.
|
| - | (blinded) ... (annoyed, gritting her teeth) |
Two guards seize the journalist and remove him brutally.
|
| - | As for the accusations... (broken voice) |
She touches her forehead lasciviously, like "I feel so lost".
She mimes despair, fright, about to cry.
CRASH! Further on, a guard throws the camera to the ground and Crack! crushes it.
|
| - | Even if I suspect corrupt directors, now under investigation, I'll probably never know the truth... |
|
| - | (strangled voice) But... but... what they did to me is so terrible. |
Her tears flow. She sniffles, continues her speech, crying.
Her act works! The journalists are overwhelmed. One of them sheds a tear.
|
| - | They sent gangsters to kidnap my best friend and assistant. They blackmailed me out of the responsibilities I now have. |
|
| - | I stood firm, so they threatened me directly. They murdered a stranger who looked like my friend, to make me believe she was dead. They horribly killed my uncle -peace to his soul-, and wanted to steal the company from my family. |
She puts her hand to her forehead, as "I'm too emotional to continue the interview."
|
| - | (broken voice) Excuse me. |
She rushes into the building, wiping away her tears.
| - | (bends down to greet her) President Moon. |
|
| - | (laughs, to herself) MoAh ah ah! Another bloody fast plot! |
Behind the anchorwoman, a screen shows the entrance to the Moon Building.
| - | The financial markets are in favor of this upstanding heiress, able to restore Moon company's moral image. The company's share price has never been so high, and are climbing even higher! |
The view recedes and...
... the anchorwoman is in a TV screen.
|
| ~ | And as further proof of President Moon's impeccable morality, she has donated 10 billion won to a children's charity. |
They're all watching TV. Kang Chul cuts the sound with the remote control.
He's disturbed, but relieved they're all here. A respite for his complicated situation.
| - | What a lousy plot! |
|
| - | Even Ren-Bo finds it incoherent. |
|
| - | And what about the burnt-out villa? |
| - | With money and the media, you can make people believe or forget anything. |
| - | How many times has she played this whining act on me? |
| - | Only the donation to the children's charity is sincere... |
|
| - | It's not all bad... |
|
| - | President Kang?! |
|
| - | Her version fits with ours, so that Yoon-Hee can regain her civilian identity. But I fear the worst... |
|
| - | The... the worst? |
|
| - | She profusely used her powers as Queen of Darkness. She's spared no limits in shaping reality to her desires. |
|
| - | She went completely mad. |
|
| - | She already was. |
|
| - | It's as if she's confusing the real world with a manhwa. |
|
| - | She's losing her grip on reality. I know what it's like, I lived it in W. |
|
| - | PfwAh ah ah!!!! You can't be serious? Have you seen yourself??! Gold smugglers between worlds?!! |
|
| - | !! |
|
| - | (imitating Soo-Bong) My angel, I've drawn breakfast. Go get it before it gets cold. |
|
| - | !! |
|
| - | (imitating Kang Chul) Ren-Bo, transport us to the real world. Right away!! Hurry! |
|
| - | !! |
|
| - | (imitating Yeon-Joo) Ren-Bo, fly there by yourself. Then summon me. |
|
| - | ... ("so annoying, she's right") |
|
| - | I think Moon Mi-Ra has become stable. However... ... Will she remain so if she encounters obstacles? |
|
| - | Your world will be ravaged by the Queen of Darkness, as mine was. |
|
| - | Then the success of her deplorable plot is in the general interest... |
|
| - | !!! (distracted by TV, restores sound with remote control) |
On the TV screen, Lee Sang-Deuk holding a microphone, in front of a charred building.
On the news banner at the bottom: "Studios MBC".
Speaking into the microphone, Lee Sang-Deuk reaches out towards a large charred hangar.
| - | The unexplained fire last night has ravaged everything. MBC's main film studio has been destroyed. |
|
| - | Fortunately, there were no casualties. Is it criminal, or the curse of W whose adaptation was filmed here? |
On TV, the anchorwoman is back on air, with the burnt hangar in the background.
|
| ~ | Thank you Reporter Lee. Drama fans will have to be patient. Many MBC dramas will be delayed or even cancelled. |
Kang Chul cuts the TV with the remote control.
|
| - | (almost affectionately) That bitch... |
|
| - | Moon Mi-Ra is behind this? |
|
| - | What are you up to? |
|
| - | I'm gonna destroy you, your relatives and your shitty wife. In every aspect of your life. |
Kang Chul is overwhelmed, in truth because of his feelings for Mi-Ra.
|
| - | Not surprising, she promised... |
On the set of W, the Penthouse replica.
WOMPF... The Queen of Darkness materializes in a puff of shadow with...
... a dozen shadow killers carrying large bags.
They take out canisters, and douse the place with gasoline.
Kang Chul makes a call with his smartphone, it picks up.
|
| - | Producer Son? |
| - | Oh, Kang Chul, I was about to call you. Have you heard the news? |
|
| - | Yes, what's happening with the drama? |
|
| - | Alas, you're on forced vacation. But don't worry, the insurance company will compensate you. |
|
| - | It doesn't matter, but the drama... Has it been cancelled? |
|
| - | No, but it will take weeks to rebuild the sets. |
|
| - | Luckily, we didn't air the first episode. This will allow us to delay the schedule. |
|
| - | ... (smiles) |
|
| - | Well, I must leave you now, a lot of people to tell. See you soon, and stay motivated! |
Producer Son hangs up.
All sorry, they look at Kang Chul with compassion.
|
| - | Ah ah ah! (as if his nerves have just given way, somewhat true) |
|
| - | (worried) ... Honey... |
|
| - | I'll send Moon Mi-Ra a thank-you card! |
|
| - | (!!) President Kang, what madness is this?! |
|
| - | Hyung! Don't you think I have more important things to do than shoot a drama?! It's perfect timing to clear my schedule! |
|
| - | (disillusioned) A 100% supernatural manhwa schedule... |
The cameraman stows his equipment in his TV Station's van.
Next to him, Sang-Deuk and Young-Sik.
| - | (can't believe it) Drop the Kang Chul case?! |
|
| - | We earn more on normal reporting. I've got an instinct for it. And your report scripts are the only thing you do well. |
|
| - | "Is it criminal, or the curse of W whose adaptation was filmed here?" It was a damn good line. |
|
| - | But boss! This is not the time! He must be the one who set fire to the studio! |
|
| - | I'm wasting too much money on Kang Chul. To bribe the drama technician, or that other guy... |
Sang-Deuk, carrying a satchel, examines the houses opposite Sung-Moo's house.
He sees a two-storey house overlooking Sung-Moo's Garden.
He goes to the front gate. The name on the mailbox: "Mr. Jeong".
Dinnn-Donnn... Sang-Deuk presses the doorbell.
Sitting at the table, MR. JEONG (40s) and Sang-Deuk.
Mr. Jeong examines an envelope containing banknotes.
Waf-agrr... On the floor, his dog bites Sang-Deuk's shoe.
| - | All right, these people are suspicious. But that's not enough for me to watch them day and night. |
Sang-Deuk pushes the dog with his foot, Kaïïï..., and takes some equipment out of his satchel.
He places a camera, a laptop and a hard disk on the table.
|
| - | You don't need to watch it yourself. |
Sang-Deuk stands up and opens the window.
From the second floor, it's easy to see Sung-Moo's house.
|
| - | ... ? |
|
| - | (examines the windowsill) We can install a camera here. |
|
| - | ... (gets up and looks out the window) |
The dog follows and Waf-agrr... bites Sang-Deuk's shoe.
|
| - | This will record everything. From time to time, you watch the images in fast motion. |
|
| - | (nods) ... Ah yes... in that case... |
|
| - | And of course, you let me know if you see anything suspicious. (gives the dog a discreet kick, KAÏÏÏ...) |
Mr. Jeong and Sang-Deuk on the phone.
On the laptop screen, night images of Sung-Moo's Garden.
|
| - | Sure enough, no one came out of that shack last night. |
|
| - | And you can assure me that Kang Chul was inside? |
|
| - | Yes! But there's a really strange girl. She's got like butterfly wings and-- |
|
| - | Thank you, that's all! (hangs up) |
|
| - | It wasn't Kang Chul who set fire to the MBC studio. |
|
| - | ... Weird... But maybe there's a connection with him? |
|
| - | Idiot, why would he want to destroy his livelihood?! |
|
| - | So... One of his enemies? |
|
| - | I don't give a shit anymore! |
|
| - | (!!) In that case... I've... uh, stuff to put away... I haven't had time the last few days, so-- |
|
| - | Go!!! This coverage just paid us for two days! |
|
| - | ... (speechless, can't believe it) |
|
| - | Oh, but answer the phone. In case I need you to write a press release. |
|
| - | Sure, Boss. |
Kang Chul working on the computer. Software showing sound frequencies.
|
| - | (approaches, intrigued) What are you doing, Hyung Kang? |
|
| - | I'm analyzing this. (takes dictaphone from table and holds it up) |
|
| - | ??! |
Kang Chul switches on a Dictaphone recorder and places it on the table.
The yellow light fades, the yellow frame appears, then the Correspondent's face.
| - | Put down your stylus, Park Soo-Bong. You are not allowed to modify this secondary arc. |
A deep, compressed voice, with an endless cavernous echo.
|
| - | Something strange about his voice. |
|
| - | I've tried to have it analyzed but... |
|
| - | (trying to understand) ... Does that mean... it's been erased? |
| - | There aren't even any traces of files being deleted. |
|
| - | ... (lost, eyes pleading) |
|
| - | (looks at her with pity) There are the sentences you typed on the keyboard. ... Sentences you typed... alone. |
|
| - | ... Nothing stays recorded in the tablet or the computer. |
|
| - | So, I recorded the sound waves with this Dictaphone. |
|
| - | His voice is frightening... but what's so special about it? |
| - | You're Oh Yeon-Joo, Kang Chul's wife. |
|
| - | According to Yeon-Joo, his voice doesn't sound like that of the faceless killer. |
|
| - | ... Maybe it's... It's a modified voice? Tweaked? |
|
| - | It's not that easy to tamper with. Because of TV series, people imagine that modifying a voice is easy. In truth, it requires a great deal of technical skill. |
|
| - | So... a supernatural voice? |
|
| - | It doesn't matter, the parameters that modify a voice are always the same. The change in tone, and the change in timbre. |
Kang Chul puts headphones on his ears, and tests different settings.
Soo-Bong observes admiringly, without understanding.
|
| - | (surprised) ... ?! (listens while looking at Soo-Bong) |
|
| - | So... Hyung? Have you found something? |
|
| - | It can't be... |
|
| - | (impatient) What is it, Hyung??! |
|
| - | Nothing I could have imagined! |
|
| - | !!! |
Cha Yu-Sun, dressed Joseon-style, finishes getting ready in front of the mirror.
She puts on her hair clip. A smile to herself, then...
SWROMPH! A shadowy turbulence, Cha Yu-Sun becomes Mi-Ra, dressed as a businesswoman.
She looks at herself in the mirror... distressed, uncertain... in love.
A heavy sigh, then she exits...
Kang Chul plays the voice analyzed on the software. An unknown woman's voice!
|
| ~ | Put down your stylus, Park Soo-Bong. |
|
| - | (!!!) ... The faceless killer is... a woman now??! |
Kang Chul frowns, and changes the software setting.
He listens to the result on his headphones.
|
| - | How can it be... ??? |
|
| - | (dying of impatience) But what, Hyung?!! What, now?!! |
|
| - | There really is something mysterious... |
|
| - | !!!! (going crazy) |
Sumptuous, large, an area with sofas. A bay window, view of Seoul from the top floor.
On the desk, Mi-Ra examines the glass bar with "President Moon Mi-Ra" written on it.
|
| - | Where's the old bar? |
|
| - | I threw it away. It was insulting for you to keep it, President. |
|
| - | Go get it. |
|
| - | ??! |
Prosecutor Go goes to the trash, and pulls out a glass bar: "President Moon Beak-Seo".
SWROMPH! Shadow turbulence, Mi-Ra becomes the Queen of Darkness.
|
| - | !!! (fearful but amazed) |
A red light shines in her abdomen and...
SPROTCH!!! The shadow arm springs from her belly.
Seeing it for the first time, Procureur Go trembles and exults...
... with joy, fear, awe, obsessive admiration, on the verge of orgasm!!
Procureur Go no longer needs to be hypnotized, serving her is his greatest desire.
He drops to his knees and holds out the glass bar as an offering.
Wide-eyed, breathless, terrified but confident, he sees...
... the shadowy hand reach out and... grasp the glass bar.
CRASH! The shadow hand closes on the glass bar.
SkrwiSrhhh! It crushes the entire object, then opens and...
... glass dust falls from the hand. Procureur Go, !!!
SWROMPH! Shadow turbulence, the Queen of Darkness becomes Mi-Ra.
|
| - | (breathing hard to recover) Your... Your appointment has arrived, President. |
|
| - | (sits down in the center chair) Send him in. |
Kang Chul plays the voice analyzed on the software. An unknown male voice!
|
| ~ | Put down your stylus, Park Soo-Bong. |
|
| - | ??! |
|
| - | An overlay? ... |
|
| - | ......! |
|
| - | You'd need two people speaking exactly the same. Then the signals would have to be mixed simultaneously. |
|
| - | ... and... and is that possible?!? |
|
| - | ... (looks at Soo-Bong, thinking) |
|
| - | !!! ("he wants me to die of curiosity today") |
Prosecutor Go opens the door and lets in...
... Publisher Kwon, shy, confused. Intimidated by the luxury of the office.
In the central armchair, Mi-Ra beckons him to sit next to her.
Editor Kwon sits on the edge of the chair, so anxious is he.
| - | Boss... Should I call you Boss now? |
|
| - | Of course not, only you have the experience to lead. |
|
| - | But then... Why did you buy my publishing house?! |
Kang Chul changes the settings and plays the voice a few times.
|
| ~ | (an old man) Put down your stylus, Park Soo-Bong. |
|
| ~ | (a child) Put down your stylus, Park Soo-Bong. |
|
| ~ | (a teenager) Put down your stylus, Park Soo-Bong. |
|
| - | ..... (perplexed) |
|
| - | S... So? |
|
| - | It doesn't make sense. |
|
| - | (stammering) But what, Hyung?!?! What?! |
|
| - | Now that you're a billionaire, would you rather invest? Are you abandoning your manhwa? |
|
| - | Only my manhwa matters. |
|
| - | Then why this acquisition... so fast... hostile... dispossessing me of my publishing company?! |
|
| - | To give Kwon Editions the legal and financial backing of the Moon Group. |
|
| - | The existence of this crossover horrifies me. It must be stopped as soon as possible, it's destroying my manhwa. |
|
| - | Do you want to sue publisher Park? Stop publication? |
|
| - | Sue, yes, but without stopping publication. Do you think that's possible? |
|
| - | (?!) ... Without stopping publication... There should be a way. |
|
| - | Thanks to your expertise, you'll be guiding an army of lawyers. Ruin publisher Park, bankrupt his company, slaughter him!!! |
|
| - | !!! (frightened by her cruelty) |
Editor Kwon looks down, sad. Editor Park is his competitor, but loyal, like him.
|
| - | What's wrong? |
|
| - | It's just... it's extreme... Isn't there any way to-- |
|
| - | Come on!!! I've known you to be more aggressive! You've spent your life arguing with Park!!! |
|
| - | ... (uncomfortable, under pressure, feels he has no choice) The story is calamitous, sales are gonna be catastrophic. |
|
| - | I'll cover the losses. I've such a shitload of dough I don't even know what to fuck with. We'll blame the stupidity of the script on Comic Studio editions. |
|
| - | Once the rights are back in hand... ... the story will continue in the "Queen of Darkness" universe! |
|
| - | So the "Butterfly Girl" universe will be eliminated? |
|
| - | Radically eliminated. No more publisher, no more rights, and if necessary... (belligerent) ... no more artists and no more heroine. |
|
| (doesn't understand the subtext, but smells something deeply bad) |
|
| (bosoms sensually, smiling unhealthily) |
|
| (frightened, confusedly feels a death threat from her) |
|
| - | You're right, his voice is indeed supernatural. |
|
| - | But you said... it's just sound waves... |
|
| - | Maybe, but it's impossible to identify a specific voice. It's a cacophony! |
|
| - | (flabbergasted) ... !! |
|
| - | A cacophony organized to the nearest thousandth of a second. Impossible to produce in real time. |
|
| - | But then... Who is he?! |
|
| - | Who are you? |
|
| - | Nobody. |
|
| - | An infinite number of individuals at once. Which equals to NOBODY. |
|
| - | (!!!!!) ... But... you said it was the faceless killer?! You proved it could only be him! Everything's consistent!! |
|
| - | (to himself) Yes of course but... he would have successively taken on other identities? ... Before he got his new face, or after?! |
|
| - | (worried) ... and... and what if it wasn't the faceless killer...?!! |
Kang Chul is dejected. He stands up and paces the room, lost in thought.
Soo-Bong doesn't have the strength to get up, he stares discouraged into space.
Sitting here alone, Mi-Ra stares at her smartphone on the desk.
Anxious... suffering from lovesickness.
She clutches her hand to her heart, closes her eyes, an unbearable feeling.
She opens her eyes and exhales a shaky breath.
She hesitantly grabs the smartphone, runs her hand through her hair...
... then her face shows the courage to make a decision.
Yeon-Joo prepares the meal.
|
| - | Do you need any help, Unnie? |
|
| - | Aaah... Yes, please. |
|
| - | Wouldn't it be easier to get that from the manhwa?! |
|
| - | No, it's time to stop confusing fiction with reality. Stop acting like... (doesn't dare say who) like a crazy person. |
|
| - | (goofs off shamelessly) Who? Moon Mi-Ra the witch? Why should what we do depend on what she does?! |
|
| - | ... (annoyed) |
Kang Chul drinks a glass of water, when...
... BRZZ! His smartphone vibrates, he looks and it displays... "Mi-Ra" !!!!
BoBoom!!! His heart leaps in his chest. So hard that...
... He drops the glass which, Crash!!!, shatters as it falls to the ground.
|
| - | ??! (looks at Kang Chul) |
|
| - | ... (dismayed by his involuntary overreaction) |
BRZZ! The smartphone continues to vibrate.
Yeon-Joo reaches out to see who's calling, but Kang Chul hides it and quickly exits.
|
| - | ?!! |
Mi-Ra, increasingly anxious... "He won't pick up?"
BRZZ! Kang Chul's smartphone continues to vibrate.
He stares at it, breath heavy, hand on his stomach...
... a blaze in his gut, his face in pain!!!
An absence of control so terrible, so unknown. It can't be him!
He contracts his eyes, grits his teeth and takes the call!!!
|
| - | (!!) ... Kang Chul ? |
|
| - | ... (can't speak, lost) |
|
| - | ..... (wait) |
|
| : | Sorry... But tell me what you have to say... |
Mi-Ra looks right, looks left...
... realizes he may not be alone, unable to speak.
|
| - | Forget... forget what I said the other day... ... I was just... angry... but not anymore. |
|
| : | (tragic smile) So you don't want to make me a bum anymore? But that's how I feel now. |
|
| - | And as for your film studio... sorry too... A decision made last night... I know, it's too late now... |
|
| : | (moved but struggling, "regrets, proof that she's coming to me") I'll send you flowers to thank you. |
|
| - | (smiles, as if she's heard his thoughts) Since then, something's happened... that's changed everything... |
|
| : | (??!) Changed everything? What?!! |
|
| - | A dream. |
|
| - | !!! (so shocked that he lets out an audible gasp) |
|
| - | !!! (hears his breathing) |
|
| : | (upset) A dream... Like mine?! |
|
| - | (stunned) You too? You had a dream?! |
|
| : | (suffering more and more, inextricable situation) Yes... Like yours?! |
|
| - | If it's a dream like mine... then find me... |
|
| : | (wanting it so much, yet dreading it) Where? When? |
|
| - | Dream Forest Park, 3pm. In front of the Changnyeongwigung Ancestral Shrine. |
|
| : | (devastated) I'll try the impossible... to NOT come. |
|
| - | (breathing heavily) I hope you'll come... |
Mi-Ra hangs up, runs her hand through her hair...
... in a daze, no longer down to earth, too many doubts.
"Did I say the right thing? Did he really have a dream like mine?"
Catastrophized, she clutches her forehead as she realizes that...
|
| : | I'm such an idiot... I did everything wrong. I put myself at a disadvantage by revealing myself. |
Kang Chul runs his hand through his hair, nodding "no"...
... unable to accept such a nightmare.
|
| - | Honey? Are you all right? |
|
| - | !! (startled) |
|
| - | (worried when she sees his devastated face) ... Who called? Bad news? |
|
| : | (unable to answer) Yeon-Joo... My Yeon-Joo... As if relegated to a distant oubliette within me. |
|
| - | (not sure if he's frightened or pitied) You've made a frightening discovery? |
|
| : | (looks at her) This sadness, this pity... So horrible to feel that way about her. |
|
| - | It's that bad?! |
|
| : | If I want to save us... I don't have a choice. It has to happen now. |
|
| - | (very worried) Honey, talk to me!! |
|
| - | Yeon-Joo... I need your help. Something very important. |
|
| - | !! (worried, but reassured) |
As they enter the house, someone is watching them...
... the illusion of the previous Kang Chul... He smiles.
Yeon-Joo and Kang Chul, who opens a cupboard.
He takes out Soo-Bong's old tablet and gives it to Yeon-Joo.
|
| - | ... ?? |
|
| - | Something we should have done before. |
|
| - | ... (understands) |
|
| - | It's because... (half lies) I need information on the faceless killer. |
|
| - | (in wonder) It doesn't matter why, it's... it's perfect. |
|
| : | (looks at her sadly) Sorry... You've been waiting so long for this. |
Kang Chul strokes Yeon-Joo's head affectionately.
|
| - | Wait a little before you start... ... I'll have to get ready for it. |
Yeon-Joo looks at her watch: "12:10"
|
| - | Will ten minutes be enough? |
|
| (nods and smiles wistfully) |
KZZT! Colorful interference, Kang Chul materializes.
He clenches his fist, sighs, like "I hope this works".
He sits in the armchair... relaxes, closes his eyes.
Kang Chul dissolves from "real" to "image" on Soo-Bong's tablet.
Yeon-Joo looks at her watch: "12:20".
She draws a frame, then writes this text inside:
"Kang Chul remembers his dream."
Eyes closed, Kang Chul shakes his head...
... under his eyelids, eye movements, like an epileptic seizure.
Every detail of the forgotten dream returns to his memory...
In quick flashes, scenes with Kang Chul from episodes 1 to 8 of W.
It stops longer on...
|
| - | She's the key of my life. |
|
| - | For the hero who looked for a murderer and became one... ... there couldn't be a better ending. |
Kang Chul drops into the void... and plunges into the river.
|
| - | I love you! |
Kang Chul is moved and... Colorful interference, Yeon-Joo disappears.
|
| - | If you want to see me, you'll find me in a manhwa, Oh Yeon-Joo. |
Kang Chul jumps off the roof... in front of a grief-stricken Yeon-Joo.
Yeon-Joo waits, anxious... looks at her watch: "13:30".
Toc-Toc! A knock at the door.
|
| - | (too nervous, screams) What?!! |
|
| - | (opens door, pokes head through) Noona, aren't you coming to eat? |
|
| - | Later, later!! |
|
| - | (?!) ... (looks at the room) Huh? Where's Hyung Kang? |
|
| - | (annoyed, yells) Leave me alone!!! |
|
| - | (!!!) ... (feels he shouldn't insist, leaves and closes the door) |
Yeon-Joo waits a little, looks at her watch again.
|
| - | (worried) Has something happened?! |
She brings the computer out of standby mode by jerking the mouse.
She clicks on a link, W's publication, the last episode, the end image...
... Unchanged. Kang Chul presumed dead lying in front of the bus shelter.
|
| - | (slightly reassured) Or... Does it take time for memories to return? |
KZZT! Colorful interference, Kang Chul materializes in front of Yeon-Joo.
|
| - | (happy) Honey, did it work? Did it-- |
|
| (sad and suffering, head down) |
|
| - | (worried) ... Honey... (puts hand on his shoulder) |
|
| (raises head, looks at Yeon-Joo) (mournful eyes, as if a loved one had died) |
|
| - | (shocked out of empathy) Was it painful? Those memories... Are they hard to bear? |
|
| (nods yes, looking at her tragically) |
|
| - | Do you want to talk about it? I was there at this time, so-- |
|
| - | (removes Yeon-Joo's hand from his shoulder) I need to be alone. |
|
| - | !! |
Mi-Ra, dressed sexy, black gothic style, sophisticated. Indecent to the edge of vulgarity.
Thin black fishnet stockings and bodysuit with floral motifs, revealing the skin underneath.
And her favorite "man-trap": a simple necklace, a black band around the neck, a diamond in front.
She did her utmost to be the most irresistible creature in the world...
... as if her divine beauty wasn't enough!!! Even a god would succumb.
She takes the lipstick, but--
Gling! Out of nervousness, she jostles a make-up pencil, which falls into the sink.
Obsessively, she doesn't notice and sensuously glides her lipstick over her lips.
A dark red with ashy particles. She puckers her lips, nothing spills over.
Tense, she looks at her luxury gold watch: 14:00.
She checks the perfection of her outfit in the mirror, mad with apprehension...
BoBoom-BoBoom... Her heart about to burst. The uncertain hope that Kang Chul will come.
Kang Chul, dressed in a white canvas suit, casual but posh style.
Too elegant to be an ordinary outfit despite the relaxed look.
He chose a peaceful, angelic style...
... making him the most attractive man in both worlds.
He grabs a hairbrush from the shelf, but--
Pof! Out of nervousness, he jostles a picture frame, which falls to the floor.
Obsessed, he doesn't notice it and brushes his hair.
Yeon-Joo opens the door, but stops short--
As she looks at Kang Chul, she nervously bats her eyelashes, sensing something abnormal...
... but unable to imagine what. "Why take such care with your hair?"
A feminine instinct dormant from years of peaceful marriage awakens in her.
Kang Chul doesn't notice her. He stops brushing his hair...
... clutches his burning belly... lovesickness...
BoBoom-BoBoom... Heart about to explode, pain on his face.
|
| - | (sees his reaction) Are your old memories still hurting you? |
|
| - | !!! (turns around, unable to mask excessive surprise) |
|
| - | (notices it, unsure) ... Take all the time you need... |
|
| - | (sadly) ... Thank you Yeon-Joo. (like "thank you for everything you've been to me") |
|
| (?!, vaguely feels an undertone) |
|
| (smiles compassionately, so sorry) |
|
| - | (looks at his clothes, doubtful) Your investigation takes place in a posh place? |
|
| - | (without lying) Oh, I've made two appointments. I don't know the standing, so... |
|
| - | ... (sounds true but... realizes "he never usually justifies himself") |
|
| - | (looks at his watch, "14:05") I have to go. |
Yeon-Joo is confused because... He leaves without a "good-bye" or an affectionate word...
... like someone who can't stand what's going on here, or is too embarrassed.
Kang Chul drives his red sports car, consumed by conflicting emotions...
... love, remorse, "I can't make Yeon-Joo suffer", crushing fate.
Mi-Ra drives her branded car, alone, consumed by conflicting emotions...
... love, fear, "This will fail, this is going nowhere", crushing fate.
On the floor... (??) Yeon-Joo finds the photo frame overturned by Kang Chul
She picks it up, looks at it... A photo of her with Kang Chul and Chul-Moo.
Yeon-Joo, worried, confused... "Why did it fall?"
Stopped at a red light, light turns green but...
... Kang Chul doesn't start. Contracted, doubting what he will do.
He thinks anxiously, unable to move forward. Other cars pass the light.
HONK! HONK! Angry drivers honk. His car is blocking traffic.
Mi-Ra's sixth sense rings "He's not coming".
Devastated by moral pain, she looks down.
Her seatbelt isn't fastened, and she can't see ahead...
IIiiiik!! A delivery truck brakes suddenly and--
KRASH!!! Her car collides with the truck!!!
Brutal and deadly! Engine crushed, windshield shattered, tire flying.